Hole saw system with improved slug removability
There is provided a hole saw system comprising a hole saw including a bottom portion and a body portion; a mandrel, including apparatus for receiving the hole saw; wherein the hole saw includes a plurality of slot pairs, the slot pairs being offset from each other on the body portion allowing a tool to be inserted into one of the slot pairs for removal of a slug.
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This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/953,221 filed Aug. 1, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to hole saws. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hole saw system with improved slug removability.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn prior art hole saw systems, there are several inherent issues with respect to slug ejection, excessively heavy hole saws and/or particulate ejection. Many of these prior art hole saw systems suffer from more than one of these problems.
For instance, with respect to slug ejection, after a hole has been cut by a hole saw, the slug remains in the saw and often is difficult to remove. In current solutions, the user must “pop” the slug out by inserting a tool into the hole saw and then pushing, or prying, the slug out.
Furthermore, current hole saws tend to be quite heavy, particularly those of bi-metal because of the construction method (i.e. thick steel plate backing). The weight of a hole saw typically increases power usage requirements which is not ideal especially for battery-operated drills, since the battery runs low too quickly. Therefore, heavier prior art hole saws are more costly to use as batteries are drained in a faster time frame. Even if a user was using rechargeable batteries, there is a consistent need to change batteries in the midst of jobs and/or projects which is time consuming and affects overall work productivity and flow.
For other hole saws which have a solid bottom portion, there are particulates which accumulate as the hole saw is cutting the hole, such as wood particles. These particulates collect in the bottom of the hole saw which can result in further work delays as the user must clean the hole saw to remove these particulates prior to further use.
Also, there are some hole saw systems with ejection apparatus integrated to the hole saw assembly to improve slug ejection, however, these mechanisms require extra components and are costly and complex.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a hole saw system which overcomes at least one of the above-identified disadvantages of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one disadvantage of previous hole saw and/or hole saw systems. The hole saw system of the invention provides an improved method of facilitating slug removal from the hole saw. Other aspects of the invention include reducing the overall hole saw weight and facilitating the ease of slug particulate, or swarf, removal.
In a further embodiment, the hole saw system includes a slug removal tool, or slug puller.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a hole saw system comprising a hole saw including a bottom portion and a body portion; and a mandrel, including apparatus for receiving the hole saw; wherein the hole saw includes at least one slot pair for receiving a tool to be inserted into the slot pair for removal of a slug; and wherein the at least one slot pair provides access to the slug over a longer longitudinal distance.
In a further embodiment, there is provided a hole saw, having longitudinal side access slots to facilitate slug removal, including at least one pair of opposing slots positioned closer to a proximal end of the hole saw, and at least one pair positioned closer to a distal end of the hole saw, for access over a larger longitudinal distance than if aligned with each other.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:
Generally, the present invention provides a hole saw system which includes an improved hole saw. The hole saw also includes means for improving slug removal, as will be described in more detail below. In one embodiment, the pilot bit being used in the current system has a longer flute section than current standard drill bits to improve both slug and particulate matter removal. In a further embodiment, the hole saw system also includes a slug removal tool for improving slug removability.
Turning to
As can be seen in
In the preferred embodiment, there are two pairs of slots 58 which are 90 degrees from each other, with two opposing (diametrically opposite) ones positioned closer to the proximal end of the hole saw and the other two positioned closer to the distal end of the hole saw, for access over a larger longitudinal distance of the hole saw body 53 than if aligned with each other. More generally, in the preferred embodiment, there are at least one pair of opposing slots positioned closer to the proximate end of the hole saw, and at least one pair positioned closer to the distal end of the hole saw. In addition to providing improved access for slug removal, the offset of the slots provides better strength than if they were aligned with each other.
Turning to
Turning to
As will be understood, the locations and size of the weight reduction slots 72 is determined by the manufacturer and is not held to a specific design. The configurations can be determined based on the size of the hole saw but are determined based on the priority that adequate strength is maintained in the hole saw. In other embodiments, the selection of the weight reduction slot locations and/or configurations can also be determined and/or matched to hole saw diameter and overall weight balance of the hole saw. The slot locations of the current invention, both the slots 58 and the weight reduction slots 72, provide an improvement in that there is access to the slug over more than 50% of the hole saw body. Prior art hole saws have slots providing access covering less than half of the hole saw body.
Turning to
Each leg portion 84 includes a protrusion 90 which is used to mate with one of the slots 58, or holes, in the side of the hole saw 52 in order to loosen or tighten the hole saw 52 to the mandrel 54. At the end of each leg portion 84, away from the arm portions 86, is a sharpened inwardly directed prong, 92 which is used in the slug ejection, or removal, process. When a slug 60 is located within the hole saw, the prongs 92 are positioned adjacent a pair of diametrically opposed slots whereby the arm portions 86 of the slug puller 80 can then be squeezed to urge the prongs 92 into the slug (in the direction of arrows 91) in order to providing a toehold, or grip, before pulling the slug out of the hole saw. The positioning of the slug puller 80 is schematically shown in
As shown in
In operation, after the hole has been cut using the pilot bit with the extended flute section, the slug 60 can be more easily removed with the current hole saw system. By providing access to the slug over a longer longitudinal distance of the hole saw, such as by having the offset slots 58, the slug 60 can be removed at any point during the cutting process or cycle. As shown in
Once the prongs 92 are engaged with the slug, the slug can then be pulled out of the hole saw to provide an improved method of slug removal. As discussed above, the slug can also be pushed out via one of the slots in the bottom of the hole saw. Prior art slug removal tools only allow the slug to be accessed from a rearward position since they only allow for the slug to the pushed out.
In the preceding description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in order to practice the invention.
The above-described embodiments of the invention are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations can be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.
Claims
1. A hole saw system comprising:
- a hole saw including a bottom portion and a body portion, wherein the body portion includes at least one pair of opposing slots for receiving a slug puller to be inserted into the slots for removal of a slug; and
- a slug puller, wherein the slug puller comprises:
- a handle portion including a pair of arm portions connected in pivotal engagement with each other; and
- a pair of leg portions, each leg portion associated with a respective arm portion, each leg portion including a hook-shaped end portion for engaging the slug, and a protrusion for use in loosening or tightening the hole saw to a mandrel.
2. A hole saw system as in claim 1, wherein each said leg portion is pivotably mounted on said arm portion, so as to be foldable against said arm portion for more compact storage.
3. A hole saw system as in claim 2, wherein there are two pairs of said opposing slots, each slot being offset by 90 degrees from each other.
4. A hole saw system as in claim 3, wherein the bottom portion of said hole saw has a plurality of openings for weight reduction and particulate escape.
5. A hole saw system as in claim 2, wherein the bottom portion of said hole saw has a plurality of openings for weight reduction and particulate escape.
6. A hole saw system as in claim 1, wherein there are at least two pairs of said opposing slots, at least one said pair being displaced longitudinal relative to at least one other said pair, thereby providing access for said slug puller over a longer longitudinal distance than if said pairs were not displaced relative to each other.
7. A hole saw system as in claim 6, wherein the bottom portion of said hole saw has a plurality of openings for weight reduction and particulate escape.
8. A hole saw system as in claim 1, further comprising a mandrel, securable to said bottom portion of the hole saw.
9. A hole saw system as in claim 8, further comprising a pilot bit secured to said mandrel to extend into the hole saw along a central axis thereof and beyond a distal end of said hole saw.
10. A hole saw system as in claim 9, wherein the bottom portion of said hole saw has a plurality of openings for weight reduction and particulate escape.
11. A hole saw system as in claim 8, wherein the bottom portion of said hole saw has a plurality of openings for weight reduction and particulate escape.
12. A hole saw system as in claim 1, wherein the bottom portion of said hole saw has a plurality of openings for weight reduction and particulate escape.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Aug 1, 2008
Date of Patent: Nov 8, 2011
Patent Publication Number: 20090035082
Assignee: Team Fair Holdings Limited (Road Town, Tortola)
Inventor: Satnam Singh (Kitchener)
Primary Examiner: Eric A Gates
Attorney: Miller Thomson LLP
Application Number: 12/184,569
International Classification: B23B 47/34 (20060101); B25B 7/00 (20060101);